writing The Earthen Elements - Sneak Preview (Chapter 1)

[Blaine 23]

This is the first chapter of the fantasy novel im creating at the moment.

Its the first version of it and some parts need rework, but i will take care of it once i finished the first quarter of the plot.

There is already a lot of plot developement in it so you might see the direction i will go.

Even though english is not my first language i am writing it in english so i can show it to more friends and as a personal challenge als english major.

 

If you like it i might post another few chapters when i finish them. Beware though, my stories tend to get a bit cruel and violent later on.

 

The Earthen Elements

Prologue

 

The sun shined down upon the world as the creature rose its head towards the blue sky.

His orange fur glowed in the heat and with spreaded wings he enjoyed the warmth of the day.

It were days like these where he did not miss his scales and lost himself in the feeling of the shallow wind ruffling through his fur and feathers.

A long time he just stood on the rock bracing against the ocean of trees before him. The mountainside on his back, too steep for any mortal man to climb upon.

However, he was not relaxed by any means. His muscles were tensed, his breath was going fast and quite. The black eyes constantly searching the mass of wood and all his senses concentrated on one presence he had to find.

Like a stalker waiting for his prey, he waited for the moment to strike with all his might.

The heat of the summer days had made the hunt far too easy for him that started hundred of miles away. This time it would be the last clash between them.

 

His eyes closed for a moment as he opened up for the sky-eye, a technique his mentor had taught him back in the days that were filled with peace and studies.

In his mind he flew across the forest, searching for gaps or signs. A prey as big as his must had left a breach in the ceiling of leaves.

He opened his real eyes and pondered for a second.

Maybe he was being too hasty again. Waiting was the best option for now, his prey would not be able to escape as long as he watched the whole forest. Focusing on only a part would lead to mistakes.

The beast grinned displaying his long teeth.

Patience had been a virtue of his master, something that took him a long time to master.

On the cliff above the forest stood the dragon Kryos and waited as the day passed by. Waited for a prey that was sure to be his.

 

 

Part 1: Intertwined Ways

 

Chapter 1: Clash of Legends

 

Summer at the mountainside meant a lot of work, work lead to sweating and that was something Darius hated.

He had always hated it, no matter if he was fighting for his life, running for his life, or simply walking down a mountain trail.

He just could not cope with the feeling of the salty water running down his body, making him feel dirty and tired, tainting his clothes.

Lifting his hands to his shoulder long hair he felt the wet heaviness and made a disgusted sound.

There was a time when he was covered in the blood of mountain trolls for hours as he and his band of mercenaries fought against the raid but in the end it was a feeling of freedom. A feeling of being alive, a moment of immortality.

Sweat just reminded you of your feeble body, that would not even last a century.

 

The mountain trail that lead to the forest above lead him on a direct path towards the merciless sun and there was no protection against it. It was always a test of endurance to climb the steep path just to hunt for some small wildlife and often he would ask himself if it was worth the effort.

His leather gloves started to itch and his shirt was soaked, the insect flying around him buzzed without pause and drove him mad.

And still he had decided to come here.

Not the mountain trail, but rather the whole place. A reclusive live at the Crimson Mountain.

 

Most of the time he did not regret his decision. He was tired of fighting every day for a few coins, drowning every pride and sorrow he had left in ale and bowing to all the god damned patrons who wanted their service.

Now he had his sheep, a daily routine of carving wooden figurines and no people anywhere around him.

Cities always annoyed him. So many dumbstruck people, unaware of the decaying society.

Darius was a mercenary after all, unable to change a thing, even if he wanted. All he was able to do was to turn his back on the world that started to fall apart before his very eyes.

He literally was not able to stand it a second longer and rushed off, leaving his companions behind.

They were never his friends anyway, but at least he was able to trust them when things went downhill and they had to fend for their lives again.

 

He reached a turn in the mountain trail and for a moment he was able to enjoy the vast glory of the land that stretched for miles far below.

Reminiscing the past always left behind guilt but it also turned away his attention from the dreadful walk.

Darius turned his gaze towards the path that would lead him to the woods and let out a groan.

He put down his wooden bow and the bag filled with small traps to catch his breath. It was not the harsh walk that exhausted him, he could run at a moderate speed for miles, but rather the feeling that he was wasting his time.

 

All his life he had felt unsatisfied. Not because of his work as a mercenary, not because he never had a real friend or family.

It was because there had never been any purpose to what he did. He simply lived his life, just as he did now.

The only difference was the annoyance of insects instead of the people around him.

He bent over and his back cracked a bit. His shape was still good, but all the fights had left their own scars all over his body. Darius pulled a small leather band out of his left pocket and tied up his hair, took a last look at the horizon and picked up his belongings.

At least the sun was in his back now.

 

Nothing could have ever prepared him what he was about to witness. A roar like nothing he ever heard before echoed through the skies and Darius' blood turned cold.

Struck with sudden fear he gazed up in the sky, his eyes wide in panic.

His hands were shaking as he pulled the bow from his back and he did not dare to look away from the direction the cry had come from.

All of the sudden a giant beast rushed over the trees above him and flew down, crossing the trail. For a short moment Darius was able to see the silver scales, the fangs and claws and not to mention the giant bat-like wings.

A dragon.

Struck in awe he was only able to look at the majestic creature as it turned and made his way back towards the forest.

Another roar shook the mercenary out of his admiration and he saw a second beast rushing down from the plateau above him.

This one was covered in orange fur, glowing in a pulsing light, like the sun itself.

Darius was unable to even lift his bow in defense but it soon became clear that his actions were unnecessary.

The beasts were not after him.

Clashing in midair they clawed at each other and their screams filled the sky with a tension Darius had never felt before.

 

Dragons, creatures he always considered a myth or at least a near-extinct race, were fighting right in front of him.

 

He felt his old warrior instincts awaken, the time seemed to move slower and even though they were a few hundred meters from him his adrenaline told him he was probably about to die.

The scaled dragon managed to escape the clutches of the other one and started a fierce counterattack. Claws clashed against claws and in their attempts to slit each others throat it looked almost like a dance. A dance of unforgiving violence.

Every other living being able to run must have fled the mountain by now, Darius pondered. But he was unable to move his gaze away from the battle for even one second.

Suddenly a feeling of fulfillment rose up in him.

He was witness to a fight between dragons, rivaled in strength only by the legendary greater Phoenixes.

 

The scaled dragon was pushing his enemy slow but steadily towards the forest and Darius now began to notice the difference in strength between them. The scaled must have been taken by surprise to even loose his ground to begin with.

The orange one must have noticed it too as he withdrew immediately and circled outside of Darius field of vision.

Struck by sudden fear, he would miss the end of the clash he reacted in a peculiar way.

Tossing aside his bow and bag he ran up the steep trail, like a madman running into his own demise.

His mind was blank and his body felt light as thin air as he reached the end of the trail and stood at the edge of the cliff.

Above him he could watch the scaled chasing after the orange but the big trees were still blocking them off.

Tossing aside all reason Darius jumped at the first branch of the biggest tree near him and started to climb.

He was covered in sweat and only his leather gloves saved him from slipping as he made his way to the treetop.

Twigs slapped in his face but he would not slow down even if he were to loose an eye to them.

Screams and the sound of bursting flames filled the air above him and every inch in his body longed for the sight of this battle.

Finally he reached a branch on which he could see through the leaves and searched for the combatants.

They were still there, clashing, withdrawing and keeping the opponent away with their fiery breath.

Darius' heart jumped and for a moment he was unable to breath.

 

The feathered dragon ascended in a spiral while the scaled one flew a quick hook to gain distance from him.

For a moment they flapped their wings in uncertainty of the others movement as Orange burst into gushing flames.

Flames bright enough to let the ray of the sun fade in comparison. Just looking at them filled Darius with fear.

 

Breaking into a sudden roar the dragon descended like a falling sun upon his enemy, who was seemingly struck in awe from the unexpected move. With a sudden dash he tried to escape the attack, but Orange had also gained in speed, easily changing the route of his charge and smashing Scaled into the forest.

The impact shook the mountainside and Darius was barely able to hold onto the treetop.

Sudden fear overcame him, that he would miss the end of the battle and as fast as he could he jumped down the branches till he reached the ground.

Shaken, torn between admiration and pure fear he stared towards the place where the dragons had to be.

His legs were unable to cope with his feelings and it felt as ages had gone by till he was able to move.

Slowly he started to walk and just as he wanted to run again he heard a roar that did not come from the dragons throats.

A roar of fire.

Before him he saw the trees turning to coal and ash as the breath of the fiery dragon crushed the old remnants of life.

The very earth dried out and cracked.

Unable to move again, Darius fell on his knees and stared into the inferno.

 

It took a while for him to realize that the flames had vanished. His body felt hot and purged from every feeling other than excitement.

His legs were free of the burden of fear and he rushed towards the battle. He was aware that it must have been decided but he might still be able to witness the conclusion.

Stumbling over the ash that covered the burnt part of the forest he could see the feathered dragon, although his wings seemed to be completely burnt, standing over the dead body of the scaled one.

Darius walked closer, setting his feet carefully as if he tried not to wake up the dragon. Just a few steps from the two dragons he stopped and waited.

 

Now that he stood right before them he became aware that they were rather small. At least smaller than he had expected.

Orange, now wingless, was about three and a half meter in height and seven in length, Scaled was only slightly larger.

The dragon shifted his head slightly and looked now directly at Darius his eyes showing slight curiosity.

 

The mercenary noticed something strange happening to the other dragon, he seemed to collapse, his body shivering itself into a lump of silver and blue.

He could not move his gaze from the strange transformation even though Orange still watched over his every move.

After moments that drew out like hours, all that was left of the former dragon was jewel so clear that only the edged reflected the light.

And how beautiful it was. Darius was stunned by the dazzling rainbows that shimmered towards him.

Then, before he could even comprehend what just happened, the neck of the leftover dragon swooped down and in one quick move he swallowed the crystal.

 

Shocked, Darius tried to step back but staggered and fell down.

All of the sudden he started to realize what stood before him.

A real, living dragon, that just killed one of his own kind and now had taken care of the remains in a rather destructive way.

Before he was able to stand up the dragon closed the distance between them in a few steps and put his head a hand apart from his.

 

Staring right into the eyes of this beast he realised how powerless he was. But yet his fears dispersed.

The dragon did not show any signs of aggression or hostility but rather understanding of his situation.

Growling sounds escaped his throat and it took a few repeats until Darius finally listened and understood.

He was talking to him.

“Now, how many times do you wish for me to repeat my questions?”, Orange groaned. There was even a hint of annoyance in his voice.

Darius opened his mouth and closed it again. He was not sure what to answer as he did not listen to the question in the first place.

“Just once more?”, the words struggled to escape his dry throat and shaking lips.

“I asked about your existence.”

Now that was a strange question. Darius never really thought about his live in that way. Existing seemed to be something that was natural and not to be questioned.

His swirling thoughts started to order themselves again while he took a deep breath and suddenly understood the question.

The dragon was not trying to involve him in a philosophical discussion but simply requested to know who he was.

His past, his presence and his ambitions.

Simply, all that belonged to his existence.

With new found courage he looked into the dragons eyes and responded.

“That would be quite a long story.”

The dragon pulled back his head and stretched his shoulders.

“Then we shall talk for a long time.”

 

Darius followed the dragon through the field of ash back onto the trail. He wondered why the beast showed any interest in him. Had it noticed how zealous he followed the battle?

The mercenary rather doubted that this was the case. Surely enough one would not take notice of such a matter in a fight to the death.

Still, he felt excited thinking about what they might talk about. There was not much to tell about his own life, but if he would manage to get the dragon to talk about his, it was worth all the fear he had gone through.

 

Both wandered in silence, the branches cracked under the heavy steps of the dragon and when the trees were to stand to close he would break them down.

It took them quite a while to get back to the trail and Darius became aware what distance he ran in the fever that had befallen him.

For the first time in years he felt excited for the things to come.

 

The trail laid before him like days had passed.

Darius gazed upon the plateau that lied under them, where he had spent five years of his life like a soulless being.

He felt reborn as if the inferno had burned away the doubts that held him down.

Side by side they walked down the rocky path and the presence of the dragon alone let him wonder why he had ever felt such fear before.

He picked up his bow and bag as they passed them, but for some reason it seemed to him like an unnecessary act.

Certainly he did not want to part with his belongings, but yet there was a hunch that he would not need them anytime soon.

 

As they reached the turn in the trail Darius could not stand the silence and anticipation anymore.

Carefully pondering on what to say he turned to the dragon.

“What is there to talk about? Surely the story of my life is not what you are interested in?”

Orange remained silent and he wondered if it was not on him to ask the questions.

“Surely the story of any ones life who wont flee a living dragon is interesting enough to be heard. But there is a lot that I have to tell. You might not even understand it, but simply knowing would already be enough.”

Darius was confused. On the bright side, the dragon just complimented his courage and that was certainly something to be proud of, also he deemed him trustworthy enough to know a secret. Something he might not understand, but something he needed to know.

He could not even imagine the possibilities of what the dragon was about to tell him.

As they reached the end of the trail, the sun had crossed part of the sky and was now slightly hidden behind the mountain top.

 

The plateau was covered in long shadows and a gust of fresh air hushed over the meadow that covered most of the mountain.

The dragon walked a few steps and laid down, putting his head on his front legs and closing his eyes.

For a moment Darius just looked at that picture that a joyful chance had made possible, then he stepped to him and sat down.

“Is now the time to talk?”

What a windy road that day had been.

Opening his eyes the dragon turned his face to Darius and let out a rumble.

“It is time. We will talk.”

He cleared his throat and took a deep breath.

“My name is Darius, former mercenary of the Band of Crows.”

He stopped, not sure how to continue. The dragon had asked about his existence and so he would start from the very beginning.

 

“I was born in Rivercry, far from here beyond the capital in the east. My parents died when I was too young to even comprehend their demise. Later I was told it was a plague, a remnant of the last great Magic War. I was brought up by the people in the village until one day a man came, claiming he was my uncle.

Without much problems he took me with him.”

Darius shrugged and took another deep breath. That part never got him in an emotional way, but he was amazed how gullible the villagers were.

“He was the leader of a mercenary group, a rather successful one. Traveling around they would sent a spy into villages to look for orphans.

Then he would come and under the disguise to be related to the child take him away to be trained as one of them.”

He waited if the dragon would show any kind of reaction but after meeting only silence he continued:

“There was not much to it. I got trained with three other orphans and they treated us well. I grew up with the battle but I never liked it. I could never see my companions as friend, no matter how much years of my life I spent with them.

In the end I decided to leave it all behind. It was easier than I had expected.”

Now that he finished he became aware that he had told nothing at all. There were battles, fierce enough to make him wake up in fear for days, days of joy and even times when the feeling of emptiness had not inflicted his mind.

 

But for some reason he was sure the dragon would understand and as he raised his head to meet his eyes he knew he had been right.

“You were raised as a mercenary, you lived your life like one and when you realized that it was a one way track without escape it was already too late. You are bound to the Band and even your reclusive life in the mountains is not more than childish denial of these bounds.”

The dragon was right. Darius had known it for a long time, that he would not be able to escape this predestined fate.

But know he had changed. Purged by the flames of this dragon and blessed with his presence something deep in him had rosen to the surface.

He stood up and raised his arms to the sky as if to grab the firmament itself. His lungs were filled with air and he let out a shout, a battle cry for a war against his past.

The dragon waited calmly till Darius had settled down.

 

He knew exactly how the mercenary must feel. The story was in no way unknown to him. He had heard rumors before how the Bands managed to get their new recruits.

But this man was different from the usual mercenaries. He survived the unleashed Spark and the magical fire touched him without burning him.

Maybe it was fate that had brought them together on this fateful day. Even though he would leave him behind, Darius life would never be the same. Now he might be able to break the bonds that tied him to certain doom.

“Sit down, Darius.”, he ordered.

“Now that I know your existence I will tell you something very important. You will not be able to use the information, but it is necessary for someone else to keep this knowledge.”

He stood up and stretched his limbs. When it came to long talks he would rather stand.

“Listen closely and do not interrupt me. When I am ready to answer your questions I will let you know.”

Darius' face hardened and his eyes glimmed with excitement.

It was good. This man would not forget, he might even understand.

 

“This is the knowledge, that I, Kryos, the phoenix-dragon, gained in the hidden library of the royal chronicler Consilium.

Centuries before our time there was an empire. The empire of dragons, ruled by the nameless emperor. It is written that he was the greatest and most powerful in his bloodline, yet he possessed wisdom beyond the borders of mortal beings.

One day the Emperor depicted a plan. He decided to create a weapon that would forever assured the safety of this world.

No one knew which dangers he had foreseen to come to such an idea, but no dragon would have dared to question him.

The Emperor would create six gemstones, hardened by his own flames and blood. Then he left his empire for years to bind the elements themselves into the stones.

Darkness, Fire, Water, Life, Wind and Earth.

 

Only he knows how to achieve such a feat of binding the elements in a pure form into the vessels.

The emperor soon noticed that the stones, which would later be named as Dragonstones, not only were infused by the elements, they also held onto natural occurrences.

It was at this time he finally was able to see through the nature of all things.

Written in the notes of Consilium the elements are connected as following: Darkness holds fear, Fire holds struggle, Water holds doubt, Life holds love, Earth holds trust and Wind holds reason.”

Kryos kept silent for a long time, but Darius was not sure if the dragon had even scratched the surface of what he wanted to tell him.

 

A chilly wind had started to blow and a feeling of a dark foreboding made its way into his mind.

Whatever that old tale was about in the end, it was not told without a decisive meaning.

“The emperor succeeded in bringing back the elements, even more, he brought wisdom back to the dragons which exceeded everything that had been.

But in the end the emperor failed to meet the very standards of nature, that he himself discovered and gave in to grief and blind rage as he discovered his very son to be struck by a deadly curse...

 

 

Interlude

 

Magical lights filled the giant library with their glowing presence as the old dragon walked in his domain.

He felt tired and drained.

All day he had tried to study the Dragonstones, but the emperor would let no one near them at this point.

Everything he learned was already written down, but Consilium was certain there lied much more knowledge of the world in those stones.

Not only were they infused with the pure power, but they divided the very nature of all living things in six core parts.

Using them would turn their owner into a being, purified of influences, true to live itself. They might give birth to a true king.

 

His tail swiped through the air in rage. It was the greatest work and discovery ever since the empire itself was created and yet the emperor did nothing but to weep over his sick offspring. Denying everyone and even going as far as to blame it on the Royal Guards.

It was a tragic flaw, not being able to stand above those emotions as a ruler. Even though the elements included love and trust, they also held struggle and reason.

True to the nature, the emperor had to give in to reason, to not loose the trust of every serving dragon spawn in the empire.

 

Consilium stood before his mountain of notes. Even though his memories would not loose a single detail he had grown fond of the written language. To see words engraved and to share the knowledge without the need of direct teaching had a certain charm to it. The only drawback was, that his messages might be misunderstood, so he always had to be careful.

His claw crashed down against the cavern wall.

Keeping his thoughts focused was getting harder the more years he gathered.

Moments ago he had met with the other royal guards, to make sure none of them would falter under the delusional blames of the emperor.

They could only await the death of the prince now. Nothing was able too stop the strange sickness that had befallen him, not even the powerful magic of the emperor himself.

At least the sickness was not spreading amongst the dragons that had brought the prince back and he was quarantined ever after.

 

The chronicler laid down the book he had used to preserve his notes of the Dragonstones and turned back to the gate of his cavern. It was not wise to leave the emperor alone in his grief. He may shout and rage when Consilium was with him, but as his oldest friend and servant he had to stay by the emperors side.

 

His gaze wandered over the inner sanctum, the heart of the dragon empire. A giant cavern that hosted a monumental building, a mixture of throne and altar, scraped out of pure obsidian.

All over the wall were the entrances to the caves of the highest dragon caste and on the bottom two huge gates covered the entrance to the sanctum itself and the way to the emperors personal cavern.

The gates were made of special iron, that would withstand dragon fire for hours. And yet the emperor managed to crush one of them in a fit of rage, as he heard the news of his son.

About a dozen dragon flew across the cavern in circles, a sight that was not rare these days. None of them dared to leave the cavern and miss the death of their prince.

 

If he were to die, Consilium pondered, the emperor might even destroy the obsidian throne.

He quickly descended to ground level and walked across to the gate. Fortunately it was the outer gate that got destroyed, so the dragons would not be disturbed by the cries of a woeful father.

After crossing half of the distance he noticed a distinctive sound of wings. Thanks to his memory he could distinguish most of the dragons by their distinctive wing clap.

It was Incendius, the strongest and most ambitious of the royal guards. He was also the one who despised the state of the emperor the most.

“Elder.”, the flaming red dragon greeted him as he landed.

“I was looking for you in your cavern, something urgent has come up.”

All of the sudden a chill went through Consilium.

What could have happened in the minutes that passed after they parted?

“I was in my library. Tell me.”

The elder dragon now noticed that the red dragon was obviously in shock. His breath was heavy and his eyes widened. Nothing could shake the red Fury of the Heavens, as he was called in the soldier squads, but they were proven wrong.

“The emperor has snapped, he has gone insane Consilium!”, he almost shouted.

“He took the prince to the mountaintop, the grave of the everlasting. He intends to use the Dragonstones to save the life of his son.”

It was just as the old dragon had feared. But still, it was a chance that the emperor would not let slip by.

“We already discussed that danger, Incendius. There is something else your not telling me yet.”

The younger dragon took a long breath. He was disturbed. Something must have happened that had shaken his very core.

“The emperor. He plans on turning his son into an element.”

 

Consilium was struck with silence. The mere thought was ridiculous, obviously sprung from the mind of someone gone mad.

But Incendius was not finished.

“He said, by using his heart as a catalyst he would be able to use the Dragonstone and infuse the soul of his son into it, instead of an actual element. He said it would grant him immortality!”

Now there was no turning back. The emperor had snapped, just as the young dragon said before.

Consilium let out a roar that shook the walls of the giant cave.

He was old, older even than the emperor. But yet, he was still strong.

“Guardians!”

Wings clapped as the royal guards descended to him. Without a word he spread his wings and pushed his rust-colored body in the air.

 

They all followed his lead out of the sanctum, through the long main tunnel and into the dying light of the setting sun.

He could not let the emperor commit such a crime, a grave sin against nature itself.

The top of the Blackscale, as the mountain was called in honor to the royal bloodline of the black dragons, was a huge crater.

 

Ages ago, a black dragon emperor had defeated a greater phoenix and the might of his incineration had burned away the very stone.

In this crater stood the emperor, in all his glory.

The Dragonstones floated around him and the air hummed of the pure elemental energy.

Consilium led the five other guards to the middle of the crater and landed before his leader.

“Pray tell.”, he tried his best to stay calm, but he could see in the eyes of his old comrade that he was beyond hope. “What do you intend to do?”

The emperor lifted his head and his gaze moved from the body of his son before him to his chronicler.

“I will do, what must be done.”

Consilium growled as an answer. He could feel that the other guards were nervous since they were not aware of the circumstances.

“What must be done? Nothing must be done with the Dragonstones! You are out of your mind! Have you already forgotten everything they taught you?”

The four guards scratched their claws over the stone as to the disrespectful tone of their eldest.

But the emperor gave him a smile.

“Foolish, old Consilium. You should now better, that the elements are nothing but a base on which our life is built. They do not make the rules.”

The rust-dragon brimmed with rage.

“They are not a base, but the very core and the very goal of every ones life! They are meant to be cherished and respected, not thrown aside by your petty means. You have forgotten so fast, emperor. And now you will bring doom above us all.

Tell me then if you are so wise beyond us all. Who does make the rules after which we should lead our life?”

The emperor laid his claw on the chest of his son.

“Obviously a king.”

 

In an instant Consilium became aware of what the emperor had planned and in the very same moment black lightning gushed out of the black dragons mouth, striking on the guardians and throwing them back.

Unable to move they lied on the ground, their wings shattered and bones broken.

“You all need to calm down. Confused, afraid and you are forgetting your manners, Consilium.”

The chest of the prince split open and with a crack his ribcage burst.

Black, infected blood dripped to the ground and in the emperors claw, they all could see the heart.

It had grown big. Soaked with the sickness and the hardened black blood it looked like a giant tumor.

Fast and firm put the emperor his other claw on the head of his son and a brilliant glow covered the surely dead body.

 

Consilium was sure, the element of life was used to preserve the prince until his father finished the creation of the stone.

He was afraid and he was confused. But mostly he was terrified of the scenery that was about to unfold before his very eyes.

Crackling sounds filled the air and clouds gathered above the mountain. Ancient words of power escaped the mouth of the emperor as he weaved the spell that would be able to bind an element that did not exist.

The heart in his hand was shrinking until it reached the size of the other Dragonstones, but where they were of a shining brilliance the new stone was pitch black.

He breathed a single flame on the transformed heart and finished the creation of the wicked stone.

The other claw still clutched tightly onto his son, eager not to let the spell fail that preserved his life.

“Now, a king will be made, my trusted guards.”

He gave a woeful smile to them writhing in agony. If they only had understood that he was capable of doing so.

It would all fit together.

 

“Rules are given by a king and king shall be made that will rule over the elements themselves. There will be no need to achieve what they represent, as our new king will change the very meaning of life as we see fit.”

The glow that covered his sons body brightened and crouched slow and shivering into the claw of the black dragon.

As he lifted it the guardians saw a what looked like a sphere of pure light. Warm and bright. The soul of the prince.

Holding the Dragonstone in one and the soul in the other he smashed them together in one move.

A scream split the air and knocked the emperor back.

In the middle of the floating elements was a black cloud, wavering and changing its shape by the second.

Lightning flashed from the elements to the cloud and back as it tried to gain control over the core of the world.

The dragons watched the spectacle in awe and fear. They saw the world as they wanted to protect and preserve it corrupted by the black cloud of the corrupted soul.

The element of rule had been created.

After shattering the old balance of the elements and gaining complete control over them they fell to the ground like the helpless guardians before.

Consilium searched the emperor with his eyes and in his last breath their gaze met. He saw fear and understanding.

That is fine, old friend. As long as you understand you can still pay for your sins.

At last the old dragon lost his consciousness and his mind drifted away from his body.

 

“...And thus he died.”

Kryos looked at the horizon and fell into a long, brooding silence.

Darius still tried to gather the purpose of the elements. Obviously they held great power, but it was the second meaning, described by the royal chronicler as the core of every ones nature, that kept his attention.

Fear, doubt, struggle, love, trust and reason.

“Why is there no hate?”, he finally asked, his voice cutting the silence like a blade.

Kryos gave him a surprised look.

“That is what you ask after all? Nothing about what happened after or even if I finished my talk?”

This confused Darius and he looked down to watch the grass shiver in the wind of the evening sun.

He was sure that this was simply a tale. A tale with a meaning that might hold the core of life itself, of course, but a tale nonetheless.

 

“There is no original hate in nature. Hate, envy, the wish for freedom. Those were artificially created and have nothing to do with the origin of life.”, stated the dragon.

This answer confused Darius even more. How could hate be something that was created?

“Do you mean created like the emperor created the new element?”, he asked carelessly.

The dragon let out a roar as his answer and surprised by this reaction Darius jumped on his feet.

“No! Did you even listen to what I told you? The emperor did far worse. Hate was created by societies. Your cities are a breeding pool of hate and distrust.

But yet you can overcome them by living true to the original six ocurrences.

The emperor created a new element, an element that should have never existed in the first place, as kings and rulers have no place in the origin of nature. He placed it not only in line with the other six but above them, tainting them all.

None can reach clarity at this point, as long that element exists and even worse, it holds the power over every other element.”

 

Darius had taken a few steps back from the sudden outbreak but now fully realized the scale of what he was told.

It was not a philosophical tale, but rather a real and true record.

The dragons of old had found the true original state of living beings and their gone-mad emperor had changed it on his own whim.

“Please.”, he said with a quite, shaking voice, “Continue.”

Kryos nodded his head and started anew.

 

“As is told you, I found all of this knowledge in a hidden library. Surely you must have noticed the contradiction. If Consilium died, how could he have continued his notes?

It seems, that the emperor came to his senses after witnessing the corruption of the elements.

But it was too late in every way. The soul of his son was beyond redemption and the seventh element, that should not be, materialized itself as him.

Holding the power of nature itself, able to create every path it wanted to, it was too much of a danger to let it go.

 

The emperor lured it inside the inner sanctum and sealed it by sacrificing most of his dragon flame, the life essence of the dragons.

The prince might have escaped with the power of the elements, but in a last act of redemption, the emperor sealed the souls of his guardians into the remaining Dragonstones.

He called upon them to gain form and flee. To protect the Dragonstones and the elements from the clutches of the monster he created.

It seems that the guardians listened. They parted ways shortly after Consilium hid his notes but for some reason he included the destination of each of them.”

 

Finally Darius understood.

“The dragon you fought...”, he began and was unable to finish the sentence.

“Was the guardian of the wind element.”

Kryos looked down on him as Darius plummeted on the ground.

“Are you telling me, after all those years they are still alive?”

“They have not been alive for a very long time, but yet they still exist. Every Dragonstone still exists.”

Their eyes met and Darius mind went blank.

Every Dragonstone. Even the one that should not exist.

The corrupted prince of the empire.

 

“Maybe that was a bit too much for you after all.”, Kryos' made it sound like an apology which enraged Darius.

“I am very much capable to understand, thank you.”

He took a deep breath and after he calmed down he asked:

“So the dragons found the original way of life? How every living thing should live?”

Kryos shook his huge head and smiled, showing off is huge fangs.

“I do not know, but I doubt that this is the case. The origin of nature they found is more like the origin of a living being as it would live without influence.

How we should live our lifes is up to each of us, I dare to say.”

 

“But what if it is the truth? What if those influences came with the creation of the Emperorstone? The seventh element that destroyed the natural balance.

Did you not say yourself that we would not be able to reach clarity as long as it existed?"

The dragon showed a mighty grin as he stepped closer to Darius.

"Now i know why i wanted to tell you about everything, but i have yet another theory."

He turned around and started to walk away.

Darius hurried to catch up with him.

"Where are you going? What theory?", he gasped tired.

"First, i am going to the small hut i saw this morning as i suppose it belongs to you and the day will end soon.

As to the second question..."

 

He fell silent again for a few minutes but Darius did not dare to say anything.

 

"I think that the dragons of old were wrong. The elements might have held those ocurrences but that would not necessarily mean that they could not change. What if the emperor denied the change by encaging the elements with the ocurrences they held at that point?"

"So you mean, that the origin of life changes?", Darius asked carefully.

"Well, i think the origin might still be the same after all. The six ocurrences that Consilium described in his notes. But due to the corruption and imprisoning of the elements they might have not been able to change."

 

The dragon let out a groan.

"It is hard to understand the scale of this knowledge. I can not believe that there is anyone who could grasp the true meaning to the discovery the emperor made."

Darius nodded. His head and heart felt heavy with all the information and thought he accumulated on this single day.

"There would be one way to be sure, that this world were able to change. To rise from the corruption and the plague of kings.", Darius yawned, "We just need to destroy the Dragonstones, thus the elements are free to evolve and the corrupted prince would loose almost all of his power."

 

"And this", Kryos replied dead serious, "is what i am about to do."